Automotive vehicles are often equipped with a center console positioned between individual front driver and passenger seats. Center consoles are provided primarily for storage purposes and typically include a pivotally movable lid that opens up into a storage bin, which is usually sufficiently large to house music CD's, maps, keys and other loose miscellaneous items. Often cupholders are incorporated into the center console of an automobile. The provision of a cupholder and other spatial requirements can restrict the size of the lid and the opening the lid covers to permit access into the storage area of the center console. Even though the enclosed storage area may be large enough to fit a laptop computer or a purse, the storage area cannot accommodate such large items unless the opening is sufficiently large to permit the passage of these large items.
Center consoles are known in the prior art. An example of a console providing an enclosed storage area can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,260, issued to Douglas G. Covell, et al on Mar. 27, 2001. In Covell, the front storage area is covered by a removable cupholder in one embodiment, although an optional lid is suggested. In another embodiment, Covell employs a cupholder between the first and second storage areas, though none of the sections are covered by a lid. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,206, issued on Sep. 9, 2003, to Neal W. Luginbill, et al, a cup holder is located between a rear storage area and a front storage area when the cupholder is located in the position suggested in FIG. 1. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0089203, filed on behalf of Craig D. Flowerday and published Jul. 11, 2002, discloses a console compartment that accommodates a container. Sliding trays are open and allow access to the interior of the housing.
Other interior vehicle structure can be utilized to house storage areas, such as is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,481, issued to William J. Fluharty, et al on Feb. 4, 1992, which discloses an armrest frame divided into three windows which serve as storage areas. U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,098, granted to Bernd Shenk on May 15, 2001, teaches a tunnel covering that forms first and second compartments in which a separate tray can be inserted into the front compartment.
It would be advantageous to provide a center console for an automotive vehicle, having an internal storage area sized to receive items larger than the lid-covered opening can permit passage of, in which the lid opens to create an access opening of a size commensurate with the size of the storage area to permit the passage of items that are larger than the size of the lid into the storage area.